This Japanese Cafe Spent Almost $270k Installing an Aquarium in the Bathroom Walls

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Head to the Hipopo Papa Cafe for a truly unique bathroom experience.

ByErika Owen on April 25, 2019

If you love aquariums, marine life, or Instagram-worthy bathroom designs, you’ll probably love what this one famous Japanese cafe has to offer. The Hipopo Papa Cafe, which is located in the city of Akashi, reportedly spent almost $270,000 to surround a toilet with a giant fish tank filled with exotic fish. Cafe customers might even have some company with a turtle who calls the tank home, too.

While this might be the only toilet aquarium in the world, Japan is full of other one-of-a-kind toilet experiences, given the high-tech lavatories the country is known for: warming seats, musical interludes, breezes of cool air. Oddity Central shares that the owner wanted to achieve the same effect of “relieving yourself while swimming in the ocean.” I don’t know that the two could actually be compared, but taking a minute to enjoy some secluded sea scenes can’t be a bad break for your day.

As Travel + Leisure shares, you’re likely to make eye contact with a fish while you’re sitting. Better than making eye contact with an actual person, which can happen if you find yourself in a bathroom with a double-sided mirror (an actual thing that you could find at a Thai restaurant called Spice in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood until it closed in 2016).

If you’re a guy, you might want to plan your visit during a slower time at the cafe. The bathroom is designated for women, but the staff will allow men to check out the women's bathroom when business is slower. According to the Daily Mail, the toilet has been in service for 12 years and has since gained quite a following. If you are visiting, don’t forget to bring your phone in for a truly unique selfie opportunity.